It is accepted present day practice to form bales of crop materials, such as hay or the like, into stacks through the employment of an automatic bale wagon. One type of bale wagon which has achieved wide-spread commercial acceptance is the automatic bale wagon which employs the three table concept, as originally illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,172 which issued to Gordon E. Grey. Many refinements have been made to the Grey bale wagon, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,507. However, the basic concept has remained substantially the same.
This type of bale wagon includes a first table which successively receives bales from a bale loader or pick-up on the wagon frame and accumulates a predetermined number of bales, for example, two, being arranged end-to-end in a row. The Grey bale wagon also includes a second table which successively receives the accumulated predetermined number of bales from the first table and accumulates them in a plurality of rows, such as four, five or six rows, the plurality of rows commonly being known as a tier of bales. The second table then rotates the tier of bales 90 degrees about a horizontal axis and deposits the tier of bales in a vertical orientation on the third table. The third table, also known as the load bed, then successively receives the vertical tiers from the second table and accumulates a plurality of the tiers, for example seven, to form a stack. Once the stack has been accumulated on the load bed or third table, it may be unloaded by tilting the load bed to deposit the stack on the ground with the first tiers of bales which were previously accumulated on the second table now being the lowermost tiers of the stack in contact with the ground surface.
Typically the load rack has a rolling rack that is capable of moving forwardly and rearwardly along the load bed supported by a lower end moveable within a forward to rearward channel on the load bed. The rolling rack is moved rearwardly from an initial or first position at a forward location on the load bed as each tier of the stack of bales is deposited on the load bed until the stack is fully formed. This rolling rack then supports the stack of bales as the third table is tilted to deposit the bales on the ground. The rolling rack, held in place by a cable and spring drive, or the like, is then released and returned to its original or initial position near the forward end of the load rack to repeat the process with additional bales of crop.
Return of the rolling rack to the appropriate initial position adjacent the forward end of the load bed is desirable for proper load bed operation. If the load rack is initially positioned too far forward, the bales may overhang the front edge of the load bed causing difficulty in loading subsequent tiers of bales without compressing or damaging the crop. If the load rack is initially positioned too far rearward, the tiers of bales may misalign or the bales may move relative to one another as the third bed is rotated and the stack of bales is deposited on the ground. This movement may cause damage to the rolling rack due to the shifting loads exerted on the rolling rack.
To return the rolling rack to its initial position adjacent to the forward end of the load rack, the energy stored in the spring of the cable and spring drive is released, propelling the rolling rack forward until the rolling rack slams against the front wall of the channel of the load rack. This slamming contact can result in severe wear to both the rolling rack channel walls and the metal stops on the rolling rack, and can make a loud noise upon impact.
Thus, what is sought is a new apparatus that will locate the rolling rack in its desired initial position in a predetermined spaced relation to the forward end of the load rack and cushion the impact when the rolling rack is returned to its initial position.